Latest news with #CondrikTenerife
The Independent
07-03-2025
- Science
- The Independent
How a dying anglerfish became the darling of social media
In February, researchers from conservation organisation Condrik Tenerife were about two kilometres off the coast of Tenerife Island, looking for sharks, when they caught sight of something much stranger. Photographer David Jara Boguñá filmed a humpback anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii, a species of black seadevil) swimming near the surface in sunlit waters. These fish have never before been seen alive in daylight, as they normally dwell in the 'twilight zone' at depths from 200m to 600m. The video has provoked an enormously empathetic response on social media, with some seeing the fish as a feminist icon or an Icarus-like figure who swam too close to the Sun. The reaction shows our views of the deep sea – long ignored or seen as a realm of monsters – may at last be changing. The strange lives of anglerfish Anglerfish are much smaller than you probably think they are. The specimen Boguñá filmed was a female, which typically grow up to 15cm long. The creatures are named for their bioluminescent lure (or esca). This modified dorsal fin ray can produce a glow used to fish (or angle) for prey in the dim depths of the sea. The bioluminescence is produced by symbiotic bacteria that live inside the bulbous head of the esca. Male anglerfish lack the iconic lure and are much smaller, usually reaching a length of only 3cm. A male anglerfish spends the first part of his life searching for a female to whom he will then attach himself. He will eventually fuse his circulatory system with hers, depending on her entirely for nutrients, and live out his life as a parasite or 'living testicle'. It is unknown why this fish was swimming vertically near the surface. Researchers have speculated that the behaviour may have been related to changes in water temperature, or that the fish was simply at the end of her life. Watchers observed the fish for several hours, until it died. Its body was preserved and taken to the Museum of Nature and Archaeology in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where it will be further studied. Sympathy for the seadevil The video quickly went viral, inspiring countless reaction videos, artworks, memes, a Pixar-style animation and a poem titled Icarus is the Anglerfish. One Reddit user commented: 'I like to think she is a respected old grandmother who has dreamed her entire life of seeing the sunlight and the world above the water. She knows her time is nigh so she bade farewell to her friends and family and swam up towards the light and whatever it might hold for her as her life as an anglerfish comes to a close.' One person described the fish as her 'feminist Roman Empire', in the sense of an inspirational obsession that filled the same role for her that the Roman Empire supposedly does for many men. Boguñá and Condrik Tenerife have since commented on the public reaction. (The original post is in Spanish, but Instagram's automated English translation is below.) 'He's become a global icon, that's clear. But far from the romanticisation and attempt to humanise that has been given to its tragic story, I think that what this event has been for is to awaken the curiosity of the sea to PEOPLE, especially the younger ones, and perhaps, it also serves that messages about marine ecosystem conservation can reach so many more people.' From horrors to heroes The outpouring of empathy for the anglerfish is unexpected. With their glowing lures and fang-filled mouths, the creatures have long been archetypal horrors of the abyss. As I have written elsewhere, the anglerfish's extreme sexual dimorphism and parasitism, along with its unsettling anatomy, have made it the 'iconic ambassador of the deep sea'. Anglerfish or angler-inspired aliens have appeared as antagonists in films such as Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Finding Nemo (2003), The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) and Luca (2021). The reception of 'Icarus' (as some call her) in popular culture indicates a perhaps surprising capacity for empathy toward animals that aren't conventionally cute or beautiful. It stands in stark contrast to the fate of the deep-sea blobfish Psychrolutes marcidus, which in 2013 was voted the world's ugliest animal. Perhaps the name is a clue: people have seen in the fish a creature striving to reach the light, who died as a result of her quest. But does our projection of human emotions and desires onto non-human animals risk misunderstanding scientific reality? Almost certainly – but, as US environmental humanities researcher Stacy Alaimo has argued, it may also have benefits: 'Deep-sea creatures are often pictured as aliens from another planet, and I think that gets people interested in them because we're all interested in novelty and weirdness and the surreal […] I think that can be positive, but the idea of the alien can also cut us off from any responsibility.' The deep sea and its inhabitants face growing threats from seabed mining, plastic pollution, and the effects of human-induced climate change. They need all the empathy they can get.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
See the rare ‘doomsday' fish that washed up in Mexico
The Brief A rare oarfish, known as the "doomsday fish," was spotted in shallow waters off Baja California Sur, Mexico. Days earlier, a deep-sea anglerfish was filmed swimming in broad daylight off the Canary Islands—an equally unusual sighting. Both creatures typically live thousands of feet below the ocean surface, making their recent appearances a rare occurrence. LOS ANGELES - Beachgoers in Baja California Sur, Mexico, were in for a shock when they spotted an oarfish swimming in shallow waters—an extremely rare sighting given that the species typically resides between 660 to 3,300 feet below the ocean's surface. Footage captured the long, ribbon-like fish with iridescent scales and red wispy fins, as one onlooker exclaimed, "No one's going to believe this!" Just days earlier, another deep-sea giant made an unexpected appearance. A deep-sea anglerfish was filmed off the coast of the Canary Islands, swimming in broad daylight—an event so unusual that researchers say it may have never been recorded before at that depth. RELATED: Watch: Deep-sea anglerfish's rare swim in shallow waters Both creatures live in the deep, dark parts of the ocean, rarely coming up to the surface unless disoriented, injured, or dying. The backstory Throughout history, oarfish have been associated with superstition and disaster. According to legend, sightings of these deep-sea dwellers have been seen as omens of earthquakes, storms, or other natural disasters. The nickname 'doomsday fish' comes from their tendency to surface before seismic events, though scientists have yet to find solid evidence connecting them to earthquakes. Despite their serpent-like appearance, oarfish are harmless to humans and primarily feed on tiny ocean creatures like plankton. Big picture view Anglerfish typically live in complete darkness at depths of up to 6,500 feet. Their eerie appearance—featuring sharp teeth, a large mouth, and a bioluminescent lure—makes them one of the ocean's most fascinating predators. RELATED: Rare oarfish swims on Mexican Beach: 'No one's going to believe this' The recent sighting of an anglerfish swimming in daylight off the Canary Islands left marine experts stunned. The creature was filmed by Condrik Tenerife, a marine research group, which called it "a legendary fish that few people will have had the privilege of observing alive." Most deep-sea anglerfish sightings come from either dead specimens washing up on shore or footage captured by deep-sea submarines—not from a live fish swimming near the ocean's surface. Dig deeper Experts aren't sure why two deep-sea creatures were spotted at the surface within days of each other. Some possible explanations include: Changes in ocean currents or water temperatures affecting their usual habitat. Disorientation due to illness or injury, leading them to shallower waters. Natural life cycle events, as some deep-sea fish surface when near death. While there's no evidence linking these sightings to impending disasters, their appearance so close together remains a fascinating mystery of the ocean. The Source The sightings were first reported by local beachgoers in Mexico and Condrik Tenerife, a marine research group. Additional details were provided by Oceana and past FOX reporting.
Fox News
19-02-2025
- Science
- Fox News
Marine expert addresses viral anglerfish video that broke millions of hearts: 'A lot of hypotheses'
A deep-sea anglerfish that was recently spotted in shallow waters has captured the hearts of hundreds of thousands of social media users in recent days – and the photographer who spotted it recently opened up about the creature's fate. David Jara Boguñá, a marine photographer affiliated with Condrik Tenerife, a Spanish conservation organization, posted a video about the viral anglerfish on Feb. 13. The fish was documented swimming vertically in shallow waters less than a mile from Tenerife, the largest of Spain's Canary Islands, earlier this month. But the menacing-looking photos did not capture the fish's true size, Jara said – as the deep-sea creature was only about two inches long. "To start with the size….the small fish measured no more than six centimeters," he recalled. "She was more of a black fritter than a black monster." "You've asked me this a lot, but at no time did she attack us," Jara added. "I was more confused [by its presence] than anything else." "The second most important thing I want to clarify is that it was a female, since the males are no more than two, three centimeters long," Jara continued, adding that male anglerfish also lack bioluminescent antennae. The marine expert also discussed a few reasons why the fish, which could have lived as much as 6,000 feet below sea level, was brought to the surface in the first place. "There has been a lot of hypotheses about it," Jara acknowledged. "But the main ones would be that the animal was sick, the animal was swept away upstream or that it was fleeing from sort of predator." The photographer also said that the predatory anglerfish may have "ingested some fish, and that at the time of digestion, gases could have caused it to rise to the surface." In response to the millions of reactions that the video elicited, Jara said that he found commenters' references to climate change "pretentious" and also dismissed fears that the fish was a harbinger of an impending apocalypse. Jara also confirmed that the fish died soon after it was recorded. "Unfortunately, as many of you know, the [anglerfish] died and its body was donated to the Tenerife Museum of Nature and Archaeology," he noted. The expert's clarification came as millions of social media users shed tears over the fish's fate. Initially regarded as "nightmare fuel," the anglerfish has since inspired fan-art and poetry as humans tried to imagine what her journey from the deep-sea was like – with many believing that she purposely traveled to see light in her final moments. "can't talk right now. crying over a fish," one TikTok user wrote on a video viewed millions of times. "there's something deeply poetic about finding the light after a lifetime of darkness," a different user observed. "All I ever do is cry on this damn app," another wrote. "Someone said she was blind and couldn't see the light but probably felt the temp change in the water and knew," a fourth viewer said. "I cried so hard." On another TikTok video of the fish with 1.6 million likes, one user wrote she was personally inspired by the creature's journey. "Because of her and her will to find the light I enrolled myself in school to get my degree," the TikTok user wrote. "I will be finding my light like her." Other social media users were less inspired by the video and the emotional reactions it elicited. "I like to think she was journeying… but my biology background tells me she was dying and lost control of her buoyancy," a commenter wrote. "This isn't a Pixar movie," another said. "She was dying. Stop romanticizing it." It is rare for fish who live so deep in the ocean to be seen in shallow waters alive. Last year, a dead anglerfish washed up on an Oregon beach for the first time in recorded history.
Express Tribune
16-02-2025
- Science
- Express Tribune
WATCH: Rare black seadevil fish appears on ocean surface
A team of researchers in the Canary Islands has captured rare footage of a black seadevil anglerfish, a deep-sea species, swimming near the ocean's surface—a sight that has been recorded only once before. The black seadevil (Melanocetus johnsonii), known for its bioluminescent lure and fearsome appearance, typically inhabits the ocean's depths, between 650 and 6,500 feet. The fish was filmed by wildlife photographer David Jara aboard the vessel Glaucus, during a rare encounter that lasted for about an hour. 'It was like a dream come true,' said Jara, a marine wildlife photographer with the NGO Condrik Tenerife. 'I had seen these creatures in books as a child, and I never thought I would actually capture one on film.' The anglerfish, which is about six inches long, was filmed swimming actively, despite being a species typically adapted to extreme pressures and known for being ambush predators that remain relatively stationary in deep water. This unexpected behaviour astonished experts, who were excited by the rarity of the sighting. 'When I first saw the video, I honestly didn't believe what I was seeing,' said Kory Evans, a fish biologist at Rice University. 'I thought it was A.I.' Bruce Robison, a senior scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, added that such sightings are extremely rare. He was the one who captured the only previous footage of a living black seadevil in Monterey Bay in 2014, at a depth of 1,900 feet. The exact reason why the black seadevil ventured to the surface remains unclear, but scientists believe it may have been due to changes in water temperature, pressure, or a prey-driven movement. Despite their intimidating looks, Evans notes that black seadevils are 'mostly soft and squishy,' highlighting their surprising contrast to their fearsome image. This sighting is a significant moment for marine biology, providing further insight into one of the ocean's most mysterious creatures.
Fox News
13-02-2025
- Science
- Fox News
Spooky deep-sea fish rarely seen by humans caught on camera in shallow water: 'Nightmare fuel'
A deep-sea anglerfish was recently caught on camera in a rare moment, delighting social media users while scaring others. Condrik Tenerife, a Spanish conservation organization, and marine photographer David Jara Borguña, shared footage of the unusual fish in a Feb. 5 Instagram post. The post described the prehistoric sea creature as "a legendary fish that few people have had the privilege of observing alive." "Apparently, the existing records to date correspond to larvae, dead adult specimens, or recordings made with submarines," the post, which was translated from Spanish, read. Video shows the remarkable and menacing-looking fish swimming out of its deep-sea depths in light-filled water, allowing it to be stunningly observed outside its pitch-black habitat. "It is a true predator of the depths, inhabiting the seabed between [600 and 6,000 feet] deep, and uses its dorsal appendage filled with bioluminescent symbiotic bacteria as bait to attract its prey, just like in the popular movie 'Finding Nemo,'" the post read. The post noted that the fish was seen swimming vertically less than a mile off the coast of Tenerife, the largest of Spain's Canary Islands. The Spanish researchers caught a glimpse of the spooky sea creature while looking for sharks. It is unknown if the fish lived for much longer after the images were taken. "The reason for its presence in such shallow waters is uncertain. It could be due to illness, an upwelling current, fleeing from a predator, etc.," the post explained. "This surprising discovery did not leave the crew indifferent and will be remembered forever," researchers added. The images left a mark on social media as well, as the post racked up nearly half a million likes on Instagram. Many of the users called the fish "nightmare fuel" in the comments section. "Who let my sister out?" one commentator joked. "Looks like he went up for a chicken sandwich and a coke," another said in Spanish. Others viewed the video with solemnity, with some pitying the fish and others wondering if it posed an ominous message. "The only thing that matters: is it dangerous for humans?" an Instagram user wrote. "That's not good. I hope it's not a harbinger of an earthquake," another worried. "Is there something strange down there for him to come up like that?" a third user speculated. "Absolutely amazing! But I'm sorry for him," another commentator said. It is rare for fish who live so deep in the ocean to wash up or be seen in shallow waters. Last year, an anglerfish washed up on an Oregon beach for the first time in recorded history, surprising marine experts who believe that it originally lived 3,000 feet underwater.
